Today’s Top Stories: Brown University is teaching teachers how to create mindfulness in their classrooms; The ACLU wants to know if your vanity plate request was disqualified for being indecent; Phil Estes ends an era, the most successful football coach

[View email with images]( [Providence Journal]( Brown's mindfulness center combines research and traditional practices The center, which draws experts from psychiatry, the social sciences, epidemiology and the study of contemplative practices such as Buddhism, studies the science behind meditation to better understand which interventions work for specific health issues, such as anxiety or addiction. [READ MORE]( ACLU of RI challenges 'taste' as measure of vanity license-plate legality The American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island hopes to reverse a policy that blocks automobile owners from choosing certain combinations of letters for their vanity license plates. On Saturday, The Providence Journal reported that the Division of Motor Vehicles has rejected license plate applications that were deemed indecent. [READ MORE]( Phred's Drug is closing and transferring customers to CVS Following acquisition by CVS Pharmacy, Phred s Drug in Cranston will be closing its doors at the end of this month. "My family and I have had the pleasure of serving Rhode Island residents for 62 years and would like to thank all of our patients and employees for their loyalty and dedication,” said Charles Rossi, the shop s current owner. [READ MORE]( Judge dismisses charge against sex offender Richard Gardner Recent misdemeanor charges against Richard Gardner, a registered sex offender who caused a stir among neighbors when he moved to Providence last month, were dismissed Monday in District Court. Police will resume monitoring his Providence home. [READ MORE]( Brown University football coach resigns after two decades Phil Estes resigned from his post with the Bears, effective immediately. He had guided Brown to three Ivy League titles during a 21-year tenure that began in 1998. [READ MORE]( Mayor Lombardi celebrates demolition of building bearing his caricature As an excavator tore into the back of the dilapidated vacant office building at a busy intersection on Mineral Spring Avenue, Mayor Charles Lombardi celebrated victory. The local doctor who owns the building featuring Lombardi wearing a crown and holding a cellphone while sitting on a toilet, had bowed to pressure from the town and state to finally have it torn down. [READ MORE]( Proposed Fane Tower project in Providence headed to final vote The City Council already gave first passage to the variance at its meeting last Thursday. The vote was 8 to 5 with two abstentions. The council is scheduled to vote for a second and final time at a special meeting tonight. [READ MORE]( Re-signing with Red Sox was a 'no-brainer' for Steve Pearce The World Series Most Valuable Player never seriously entertained leaving the Red Sox. Pearce last week signed a one-year, $6.25-million deal with Boston to return to the club next season. [READ MORE]( East Greenwich fire chief said terminated firefighter deleted thousands of records A former town fire lieutenant charged last week with two counts of computer trespassing deleted hundreds of thousands of files from the department’s computer system, according to Fire Chief Kevin Robinson. [READ MORE]( A Coventry student was arrested after a social media threat A middle school student was arrested after police investigated a "social media threat," authorities said. The student was charged with disorderly conduct after a caller told police that the Alan Shawn Feinstein Middle School student had sent a threatening message via Snapchat. [READ MORE]( [providencejournal.com]( Connect with Us! [Facebook]( [Twitter]( Connect with Us! [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [WWW.PROVIDENCEJOURNAL.COM]( You are receiving this communication as a member of the Providence Journal. Providence Journal values your online privacy. For more information, view our [privacy policy]( now. Please do not reply to this message. [Manage Preferences]( | [Unsubscribe]( Providence Journal 75 Fountain St Providence, RI 02902 © 2018 Providence Journal. All rights reserved.